When starting this furniture upcycle I had a farmhouse-style plan for this piece. Things took a sudden turn in the direction of a mid-century modern nursery bookcase makeover after having a light bulb moment.

I got to thinking mid-makeover how cute this small bookshelf would be in a baby's room. So I contacted my daughter-in-law to plant the seed. Before you think, whoa wanna be grandma, that's a little forward. She IS expecting...and I got the thumbs up.

Mid-Century Modern Nursery Bookcase Makeover

This is my son and daughter-in-law's first baby and our grandson or granddaughter (my grandma sense says it's the latter) is due to arrive in August. They are in the process of designing a gorgeous mid-century modern-style nursery. I'll be sharing the matching dresser/change table makeover soon.

The initial motivation for the bookcase makeover is our Int'l Bloggers Club challenge. The theme this month is Painted Furniflips. It's been several months since I've done a furniture makeover and it's about time I got back in the saddle. With the change in direction for this piece, our furniture challenge is perfect timing.

If you haven't heard of our Int'l Bloggers Club, we are a group of blogging friends from around the globe who come together on the third Monday of every month to share a themed DIY project. Links to my uber-talented friend's painted furniture makeovers are included further down in the post.

We have members from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the USA, and Canada. The theme for our last challenge was Don't Sweater The Small Stuff where I made two Recycled Sweater Easter Egg Wreaths.

I've had this bookcase for many years and it has made its rounds throughout our home. The last being my former office before my new home office makeover. Here's what the bookcase looked like in its home office days, painted glossy black and white stripes.

Here is the wooden bookcase after the makeover. Big difference, right?

Switching the bun feet for wooden tapered feet completely changed the look to a mid-century modern style. It's painted with Behr Chalk Decorative Paint in custom colors but more about that later in the post.

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the nursery bookcase, almost all of the DIY projects shared here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

First Let's Talk Safety

It's very important that bookcases in a nursery or child's room be mounted on the wall with metal brackets and heavy-duty drywall anchors (if you don't hit a stud). To a child, a bookcase is like their own personal climbing apparatus and the last thing you want is it toppling over.

Here's How I Did It

Judging by the next photo you'd think I was painting a pine box (if you know what I mean 😉). When doing furniture makeovers I find it easier to have the piece on a work table because the ole knees ain't what they used to be.

Prep Is The Most Important Step

The biggest job in this makeover was prepping the bookcase for paint. Like I always say, prep is the most dreaded but important step. I had to get suited up for this one! It took a few hours with a mouse sander to knock back the glossy black finish.

Before moving on to the fun part, one coat of Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 Primer over the entire bookcase not only covers the black paint but it gives the new paint some bite.

Painting The Bookcase

If you’ve been following my furniture upcycles then you know that my preference is to use chalk paint. It has low to no VOCs (volatile organic compounds), dries quickly, and has a durable matte finish. No VOCs are especially important with children's furniture.

The nice thing about using Behr Decorative Chalk Paint from Home Depot is that they can color match any color you want. Mr. Frugalista so kindly took a piece of the white crib along with a Cloverdale paint chip and they matched the colors perfectly.

Hey, at least it's a pretty pine box!

It took four coats of custom white paint color to cover the black. It is applied with a small foam roller with a one-hour wait time between coats. Lightly sand between coats with 220-grit sandpaper for a nice smooth finish.

Now it's time for that pretty pop of teal on the beadboard. It's a custom mix from a Cloverdale paint swatch (0668) called Wish Upon A Star. Such a fitting name for a nursery!

After the last coat of white paint dried overnight, I used Frog Delicate Surface tape to mask off the sides. An art brush works well to paint inside the grooves of the beadboard and an angled brush works well along the edges. The beadboard back is painted with three coats of teal applied with a small foam roller, with an hour between coats.

Another Sudden Change In Direction

This is the point in the makeover where I got the idea to replace the bun feet with wooden tapered legs. And I just happened to have four in my stash, with brass tips (gold is the other accent color in the nursery).

I also had metal brackets in my stash for the legs and mounted them to the bottom of the bookshelf.  The wooden legs are stained with dark walnut gel stain, applied with a lint-free rag. Once the stain was no longer tacky the brass tips were glued on with E6000 glue.

I think the stain color is so pretty with the teal and white.

Protecting The Paint Finish

This makeover is so hot off the press that it hasn't got a protective finish on it yet. What I'll be doing is using a paint sprayer to apply a couple coats of an interior non-yellowing semi-gloss diamond clear coat.

Pro-Tip

What I've learned over the years, and was recently reminded of when doing our kitchen makeover, is that a diamond clearcoat does not yellow over time. I used interior Varathane Diamond Wood Finish, a water-based product.

I can’t wait to see how this mid-century-style bookcase looks in the nursery.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today. I hope you were inspired by the small bookcase makeover. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed this nursery room bookcase idea, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your DIY Nursery Furniture or Bookcase Makeovers board on Pinterest.

Now let's see my talented friend's Painted Furniture pieces by clicking the links below.

Melamine Faux Distressed Metal Cabinet | A Crafty Mix

Marilyn Monroe Decoupage Dresser | Unique Creations By Anita

Painting Vinyl Fabric | Birdz Of A Feather

IKEA Marius Stool Makeover | What Meegan Makes

Mid-Century Modern Nursery Bookcase Makeover | Interior Frugalista

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.